There Will Be Blood
by Edgehog Jeremy
Summary: When a series of gruesome murders take place that lead back to killings that have happened years ago, Detectives Espio and Shadow must move quickly to stop more crimes from happening. How can that be if their prime suspect is someone who has been dead for over fifteen years? What they will discover will change everything about themselves and those around them. Sonic/Saw crossover.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! Okay so I have three story updates that I've been working on and I do apologize for it all taking so long, school and work have literally been sucking the life out of me along with trying to go back and re-edit these updates to my liking. With that being said, I will be adding a fourth story to be working on because I want to be busy outside of school with my writing so I will be working on four stories at once so I will be setting up a schedule here soon where I update a story a week. So with all that out of the way I decided to embark on something different that I think would be fun. I decided to write a Sonic/ Saw crossover. It's not going to be a one-shot, I want this to be an actually story so expect this to be a detailed one. Feedback and comments would be much appreciated because without you there is no story so let me know what you think! Enjoy everybody!

There Will Be Blood

Chapter 1:

Sonic suddenly jerked awake seeing nothing but the immense darkness that covered the room. He frantically reached out around him, searching for anything that could help guide him.

"Help!" Sonic screamed in a panic as he found a wall and slowly pressed himself up against it, oddly enough a strong gasoline smell filled the room. Why does it smell like gasoline in here, Sonic thought as he slowly moved along the wall, trying to find some sort of light switch to help find out where in the world he could be.

"Is anybody there?! Hello?!" Sonic patted his gloved hands up against the wall in desperation but his blind searching was fruitless. Sonic's heart began to beat faster in fear for every second that passed. His mind was a whirlwind of questions, all of which couldn't be explained or accounted for because he retained no memory of the events prior to here. Where am I, how did I get here, who brought me here, and more importantly, why am I here. Suddenly, a thud resonated in the room and a series of lights turned on, revealing an old, dilapidated, room. Sonic gasped as he saw the body of a man lying lifeless in the middle of the room, blood smears were clearly evident on the floor and alongside some of the white walls. The room was completely void of furniture, a couple of lights hung overhead. As he was looking up, Sonic noticed a camera placed in the left corner of the room. Whoever, was behind this was watching him, the thought made Sonic sick to his stomach. What kind of person could do this? The blue blur turned away to his right and to his astonishment, found the door he had so frantically been searching for only moments ago. He sprinted to the door and tried to turning it to no avail.

"Damn it, it's locked." He grumbled in frustration, he began banging on it in the hopes that someone would hear him. Sonic's gloved hands slammed against the door with significant impact, that combined with his yelling was enough to wake the dead but yet somehow, nothing. Sonic groaned and turned his back to the door and put his face in his hands, just what the hell was going on? What was with all the blood splattered all around the room? It spooked Sonic to know that a potential bloodbath had taken place in this very room, let alone a room he had no idea why he was in. Sonic walked towards the far wall and traced his fingers along it, the blood was old and had long ago stained the wall, leaving a rusty red blot from the splatter. That's when Sonic noticed something out of the corner of his eye. In the far right corner of the room there was a video cassette player, out of curiosity, Sonic walked over and picked it up. On the front of the player in giant black letters were the words "play me". Sonic's heart thudded in anticipation and fear, he didn't want to know what was on that tape, but Sonic knew that deep down that the answers that he seeked would be revealed from whatever it was on there. Sonic clicked the play button and was met with static for a couple of moments before a deep, man's voice began speaking through the tape.

"Hello Sonic, I want to play a game. Today is your day of rebirth, for many years you have neglected those who have cared about you deeply, you've turned your back on them and made them feel unwanted. You now find yourself alone, and this time you will need to make a choice. Before you is Douglas Wittager, a man who was corrupted and made a name for himself by feeding off the despair of others. You would know all about corrupted, as you used to be everyone's hero, today that will be put to the test. Inside Douglas's body is the key to your salvation, all you have to do is find it in less than sixty seconds. However if you do not, everything that you stand for will be set aflame till nothing remains. Use the tools that have been placed inside Douglas's pockets to get your key. Live or die Sonic, make your choice." Suddenly the tape cut out, ending the cryptic explanation and rules from the mysterious person on the tape, and a clicking noise resonated throughout the room. Sonic turned to face the sound of the ticking, and realized that it was the ticking of a clock, the hand counting down the sixty seconds he had to play this morbid game. With no time to waste Sonic rushed over to the body and frantically searched through the man's pockets. He felt a sharp, metallic blade in the right pocket and pulled it out, revealing a scalpel. In the other pocket was a folded up diagram of the human body. Sonic unfolded the diagram, his heart racing as he looked back at the clock which told him he only had forty five seconds. With the time counting down and Sonic's heart pounding uncontrollably Sonic looked at the diagram and found a black X mark located on the stomach.

"Okay, it's in his stomach." Sonic said as he gripped the scalpel tightly and removed Douglas's shirt, revealing his exposed skin. Sonic brought the scalpel close to the man's skin but couldn't bring himself to pierce it.

"I can't do this." Sonic thought regretfully as he shook his head. The clock was ticking but at the same time, his heart couldn't bring himself to cut open a human being. It was either that or he suffered a fate worse than death. What was the lesser of two evils, Sonic pondered as he looked back and forth from the scalpel to the door. Twenty seconds was all Sonic had left and with his decision now made Sonic plunged the scalpel deep into the skin of the man that lay lifeless before him. Sonic cut upwards, revealing the man's digestive system, blood began oozing out onto the floor and covered the blue blur's cobalt fur a dark crimson. He reached his gloved hands inside and removed an intestine and began searching around the stomach in desperation, hoping that the key could be salvaged. Blood spilled more and more onto the floor, drenching the floor in a crimson pool as Sonic continued his search. Ten seconds, Sonic pulled out another intestine and used the scalpel to cut it open. A slimy, squishy noise was made as the serrated blade opened the intestine and a key fell from it, clanging to the floor. Sonic shook what he could of Douglas's remains off of him and quickly made his way to the door. Three seconds, Sonic attempted to put the key into the lock but the key wouldn't fit.

"What the hell?!" Sonic screamed in frustration and anger as the clock ticked down to its final seconds. Two seconds, one second, that's when Sonic realized, it wasn't the right key, there had to have been another one somewhere in Douglas's body. When the timer had finished counting down, it exploded, causing flames to ignite from the blast. As the flames reached out towards him, Sonic realized why the room had smelled like gasoline. Whoever had done this had the intention to make him burn. The room had become Sonic's tomb as the flames quickly engulfed Sonic and his screams of agony resonated inside the empty room. In a matter of seconds, he had been reduced to charred ashes, the former hero's screams silenced forever. The door opened a few minutes later and a figure stepped into the room and marvelled at their work. Sonic was only one of many to succumb to the horrific games, now with new lessons to be taught, a long lost legacy had been rediscovered, and now no one is safe.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! Back again with another update for this story. I hated leaving off on such a vague and explosive (no pun intended) opening so I decided I'd give everyone something more. While I'm at it, one thing I think I should mention though is that while this does involve Sonic characters, they will not have their powers. They are just ordinary in every way just like us. Just keep that in mind as you read on. Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 2:

The moon shone brightly in the cloudless and dark November sky. Its light casting an eerie glow on the parking lot that detectives Shadow and Espio were walking through. The two detectives had just been assigned to a new case only moments ago, a case that they so far knew very little about. Shadow was the one who had answered the phone to desperate officers reporting from 1408 W. Mellowbrook. The officers told them scarce details about what they had discovered and said that the detectives needed to come down immediately. Both were intrigued and also if truth be told, frightened. Apparently from what Shadow recounted, a grotesque and elaborate murder had taken place in the basement. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary till Shadow said that the entrance to the room that was in the basement had been sealed shut with a titanium slab. That struck Espio as odd, who would go to such lengths to make sure that nobody got in or out of the room?

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Shadow spoke, stirring Espio from his thoughts. They had both finally reached their squad car and Shadow pulled out the keys and unlocked the vehicle. He and Espio got in and Shadow turned the keys in the ignition, the car roaring to life as Shadow put the car in gear and began pulling out of the parking spot.

"What makes you say that?" Espio asked, curious as to what could make Shadow so uneasy in that tough shell of his. Shadow slowly accelerated down the street, in the early hours of the morning it looked so empty, even in the city of Westopolis. It looked like a ghost town, with all the lights off and nobody out and about, it looked as though the place had been abandoned.

"Who goes out of their way to put up a titanium slab so that no one can get in or out of a room?" Shadow asked, reciting one of the questions that had been plaguing Espio's mind since first learning of the crime.

"Someone who fears his work being found obviously." Shadow gave a slight smirk at Espio's response as Espio turned his attention to out the window. The sudden change in scenery from the city to the suburbs was quite a transformation. Seeing all the towering buildings that were larger than life to picturesque and nice homes was interesting to watch unfold before his eyes.

"S.W.A.T had to weld their way inside and judging from their reactions on the phone, they stumbled upon something rather disturbing." Espio nodded as his attention was still focused outside the passenger window, he felt like he and Shadow both would know what had transpired soon enough. For right now, he just wanted some serenity inside the eye of the storm before he entered the hell that came with his job. A few minutes passed in complete silence before Shadow decided to break it.

"So how are you and Mina doing?"

"Fine I guess, what's got you so talkative. Normally you're the brooding and quiet type, not the one who just makes small talk." Espio retorted, earning a solemn glare from his fellow detective.

"I'm just wondering who shit in your cornflakes, because something is eating you up inside." Shadow replied as they came to a stop at the stop sign. Espio lightly chuckled at the detective's words as they began to go again.

"It's nothing really. I just never really get to spend time with her is all. I'm always stuck working the cases."

"That's all you, you're burying yourself six feet under in your own job. That's all on you. You know the Sergeant has given you multiple chances to take some time off, but you never take it because you want to play hero and capture all the bad guys." Shadow explained, Espio just continued to stare out the window, not wanting to look his partner in the eyes because deep down he knew that he was speaking the truth. "What you need to do is take some time off and reconcile with Mina for all that lost time. I'm telling you, it'd be healthy and beneficial."

"I don't know Shadow, I feel like it is more complicated than that. I just feel like our relationship is just drifting apart, like there isn't that connection anymore." Espio hung his head low as he looked back on how his relationship had been the past few months. It was all true. He spent too much time at work but in doing so it came with a heavy price. It was straining his relationship and making it a burden rather than a loving commitment. He remembered how things had just gone this morning, his relationship was a glass house that kept having stones thrown at it, it was breaking down and it appeared as though it was out of his control. He remembered her words and how they cut through him like a serrated blade. The two had argued back and forth that morning, Espio insisting that his work was important but Mina couldn't seem to understand. She thought Espio was saying that being a detective was more important than having a loving relationship and that Espio was spending so much time investigating dead people he couldn't understand how to function with a living one. How could he make her understand, he was trying to save people, lives were constantly on the line when he worked.

"You can't save everyone." Those were Mina's last words before she departed and left to go and spend some time at her mother's house, she demanded that they take a break so Espio could get his priorities straight. However, even with all that was going on in his personal life, Espio had neglected Mina's pleas and work was still on the forefront of his mind. In fact, he hadn't even thought about the argument that had taken place that morning until just now. He felt extremely guilty and disappointed in himself, but at the same time, work needed to be done. Espio would think about it more once he got back to the house and actually had time to himself to get lost in his own thoughts and wonder just how he was going to make it up to Mina.

"It can't be that complicated, you just need time together. Time is the greatest medicine." Shadow said, hoping that Espio would take his advice. Although he would never admit it, he genuinely cared for Espio and his well-being and he hated seeing him all sulking and fretting over something as ridiculous as a girlfriend.

"That's the thing Shadow, it is. It has been since I started dating her three years ago, I've been on this job for ten years, and it started off great with her but this job is sucking the life out of me and I can't seem to escape it. I don't mean to turn my back on her but you and I are needed in order to save the lives of those who are in danger." Espio voiced what had been unknowingly dwelling inside him all day, Shadow listened as his eyes were focused with fierce precision on the road.

"Mina and I do need time together, unfortunately though, it is going to require more than that. I'm just unsure of what. I feel torn, like my heart and intentions are in the right place, but I just can't find a balance for everything. There's just too much on my plate and I don't want to have to cut ties to save one or the other." Espio sighed and closed his eyes, he felt a weight lifting off his shoulders, it felt good to talk about what had been bothering him. Shadow turned his attention away from the road for a moment to look at Espio, his crimson irises displaying a look of concern for his friend and detective.

"Espio, you're one of the most brilliant people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You'll figure things out, just talk to her, it is as simple as that. We can talk more about this later but for right now we have to get down to business." Espio thanked him for his words as Shadow turned the wheel and slowly began driving down the street of West Mellowbrook. Their eyes scanned for the address as they slowly drove along looking at the numerous suburban houses that lined the street. It didn't take long however for them to find it. Their eyes drank in all the members of various news crews scattered all around the front of 1408 W. Mellowbrook and all the other squad cars that were surrounding the address.

"Damn it all to hell! What is it with these stupid reporters, it's like three in the morning do these ravenous story seeking wolves ever know when to call it quits?!" Shadow growled as he pulled the car up alongside the sidewalk and parked right across the street from the house.

"Nope these people are like sharks Shadow. You should know this by now. First drop of blood and every single one of them in the city radius all descend upon it." Espio joked as he and Shadow got out of the car and looked at the house across from them. It was a two story suburban home that had definitely seen better days. The house itself was decaying and many of the paint layers had been peeled away, leaving it in a revolting shade of sky blue. Wooden planks had been smashed along the front and sides of the house and many of the windows had been broken out presumably by inhabitants from years past. The house looked vacant and no lights were on, it looked as though nobody had lived there in years.

"This place looks like the kind of shithole that druggies and homeless people would inhabit." Shadow remarked as he fixed his crimson tie and locked the squad car.

"I mean, I don't think you are exactly wrong. Why this location though? I mean the house is one of many on this street. Somebody had to have seen something." Espio's response received a nod from Shadow as they made their way across the street. As soon as they had stepped foot on the property, the two detectives were immediately swarmed by different news anchors all chomping at the bits for any detail that they could get.

"Is it true that more bodies are being recovered other than the two that have been discovered thus far?!"  
"Any possible suspects?!"

"Is there a serial killer among us?!"

"No comment! Now let us through!" Espio barked as he and Shadow had to shove their way through the mob of reporters. They managed to lose them all after ducking underneath the yellow caution tape that prohibited them from harassing them further.

"I hope one day they will learn to quit." Espio muttered as he began dusting off his suit as Shadow rolled his eyes.

"They never will." They began their walk up to the house itself, the scarlet and orange leaves that were scattered across the lawn crunching beneath their shoes as they made to the front deck. Both detectives glanced at the old porch swing lying on the ground, the chains that had once supported it broken off and laying beside it, leaving rusty residue beside the broken wooden planks of the porch.

"This house could use some renovation." Shadow muttered as they walked inside the front door that was wide open. They both glanced around the interior of the house, it looked even more horrid than the outside. The walls were a disgusting shade of yellow and the entire living room was void of any furniture whatsoever. The floor had scratches on its wooden planks and let out really loud creaks as the detectives moved across it, moving towards the doorway next to the living room which they guessed lead to the basement. As they made their way towards the doorway, a dark blonde haired woman with glasses emerged from the basement almost colliding with Shadow who was leading the way.

"Detective Shadow, I assume you are here with Detective Espio?" The woman asked, casting a knowing glance over to Espio, he recognized the woman as a forensics specialist who he had worked with on previous cases.

"Hello Kaitlyn." Espio greeted as Shadow explained that he and Espio had both been assigned to this case.

"Well in that case Detectives, follow me. We've been expecting you." Kaitlyn suddenly turned and began to make her way back down to the basement with both detectives following suit. After a couple of moments, they finally reached the end of the dilapidated staircase that lead them to the room in the basement. The basement as a whole was enormous it was one massive room, but again just like the upstairs, it was very empty. Without the investigative lights being on and brightening the room, the basement would've been plunged into darkness, leaving it to look like a dark hole. Kaitlyn continued to navigate their way and the Detectives followed closely, their footsteps echoing throughout the basement like a cavern. She led them to the part of the basement that contained a narrow hallway on the far right side, it had an immense titanium slab that had once covered it before being welded open enough for someone to enter.

"We will have to be in a single file line in order to enter since the hallway past this slab is so narrow." Kaitlyn informed as the three fell into line and began to slowly walk through the dimly lit corridor.

"Commander Knuckles reported after being called by a couple of officers who responded to a distress call from a neighbor named Will Imbus, he reported seeing a figure sprinting out of the house and thought it was some teenagers up to no good." Kaitlyn explained, earning a curious glance from both Shadow and Espio.

"Judging by the fact that we were called I'm guessing not." Shadow spoke, as Kaitlyn continued to lead them to the brightly lit room at the end. Espio and Shadow both walked in and stood appalled at what they saw. Two corpses both charred and bloody laid in different positions of the room. One in the center and one a few feet from the door. The corpse by the door's face was almost completely melted off, pieces of burnt flesh loosely hanging from the skull. The eyes had bursted from the sockets due to the immense pressure of the heat, causing the eyes to splatter all over on the ground. The body was surrounded in a pool of stained blood and ash and the body itself had been reduced to nothing more than a morbid display of flesh and bone. Its face was contorted as if the last thing it did was scream. The body in the middle of the room was almost completely torched save for some spots of flesh. It was lying on it's back, completely sprawled out, as if the victim didn't even make an attempt to escape the fire unlike the one by the door. Blood also covered some of the white walls of the room in tiny little splatters. Little pieces of machinery were also scattered throughout the room, appearing to have come from a now melted digital clock that had rested just about five feet away from the body in the middle of the room. The room was lit by a single lightbulb but because of the investigative lights that were placed around the bodies, the room was casted in a very glaring light. Numerous investigators were crowded around taking photographs or moving evidence out of the room to take back to the precinct for an official investigation.

"Christ, what the hell happened?" Espio asked as he surveyed the horrific scene before him. He had never seen anything like this in all of his years investigating. He didn't even really know what it was that he was looking at, what kind of a murder was this?

"We're aren't entirely sure, we know that the victims perished in a fire caused by some kind of explosion. How those turn of events came to be is still a mystery. We won't even know who the victims are till we get their dental records identified. However, what we do know is that whoever this was left a clue behind on the victim here by the door." Kaitlyn spoke, bringing Espio's attention from the crime scene back to her. She made her way towards the corpse and pulled a set of latex gloves out of her lab coat pocket. She put them on and very carefully moved the corpse's head slightly to the left, revealing a puzzle shaped piece of flesh missing.

"What is this supposed to mean exactly?" Shadow questioned, not really sure how helpful this clue was supposed to be.

"This puzzle piece was the trademark of John Kramer, the serial killer known as Jigsaw." Kaitlyn informed as she stepped away from the corpse and removed her gloves. Espio's eyes wandered around the crime scene, investigating everything as Kaitlyn told them the information.

"Well why aren't we exactly out hunting him right now?"

"John died fifteen years ago, judging by everything that we have been able to piece together so far I'd say you are dealing with a copycat." As she told them this, Kaitlyn strayed away from the detectives and made her way towards one of the evidence tables surrounded by investigators. She grabbed a couple of items and brought them back towards the detectives who had made their way over to the corpse lying in the center of the room.  
"These may hold the key to what happened in this room." Kaitlyn presented two cassette players, one was burnt and partially melted, the words "Play Me" dripping down in a giant black smear. The other looked completely fine, almost brand new and it had the same words, "Play Me" written across it.

"However, this one," She held up the burnt cassette player in acknowledgement. "Has audio that can't be deciphered due to it melting but this other one, oddly enough is for you detectives." She held it out for them to take, which Espio did.

"It was lying on top of the body in front of you, it looks as though it were placed in here shortly after the fire enveloped these too. We haven't attempted to listen to it since we figured that you would want to first." The detectives gave confused looks at one another, the same question running through their heads. Why would a serial killer be looking to make contact with the people trying to locate him? It was odd but at the same time whatever was on this tape could potentially yield significant evidence that could help the investigation. Espio went to go and press play when Shadow held a hand up and stopped him.

"Are you sure about this, something doesn't feel right."

"Shadow, if the killer left this for us we should at least listen to what they have to say."

"Why though? Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd that someone would leave a tape in the middle of a crime scene in the hopes to achieve contact with us?" Shadow reasoned in the hopes that Espio would see the potential danger he was putting everyone into. "Just put the tape down and let's go back and listen to it in a location that would be much more ideal and safer." Shadow reached for the tape but it was quickly swept away by Espio who went ahead and pressed the play button. Slight static was heard before a deep, raspy voice emanated from the cassette player.

"Hello detectives, if you are hearing this, then that means that you have found the beginnings of a new legacy to my work. You can try to stop it, but by all means it will continue, I assure you." Shadow and Espio exchanged glances at one another as various investigators stopped what they were doing and wandered over to where they were in order to listen to what was on the tape.

"With that being said, heed my warning Detectives, if you are to interfere in my work in any way, you may just become a part of it. Just remember though, when the light fails to reveal the things we want to find, turn to the darkness for answers. For it has the uncanny ability to lead us to the heart of what we seek." After the message had been played, the tape clicked to a stop, leaving the detectives and everyone in the room in a stunned silence. Espio clutched the cassette player in his hands, a single question running amok through his mind. Just who exactly are we dealing with? It was a question that had to be answered as soon as possible, for he knew that whoever this was was going to strike again.

"Shadow we have to run this down to voice diagnostics stat, we need all photographs and we need to identify these victims. Something is going to happen and I'm not entirely sure what, but we need to figure things out before this psychopath strikes again." Espio handed the tape back to Kaitlyn and quickly found his way out of the room, leaving Shadow behind with the investigators. He turned to Kaitlyn, who had a scared look in her eyes.

"Who was that?" Shadow asked, wondering just who it was that they heard on that tape.

"I can't believe it, he should be dead. That was John Kramer." Kaitlyn spoke, her voice slightly shaking in fear at the message that she had just heard.

"How is that possible? You've said he has been dead for years. We can't be chasing a dead man, can we?" Shadow didn't even wait for an answer as he left the room also to pursue his partner. This investigation just got a whole lot more complicated, and the more Shadow thought about it, the less it made sense. Their first lead already traced back to a dead man, a double homicide with no identification of the victims and the crime itself didn't really have any rhyme or reason to it, and to top it all off, whoever this was, knew who they were. Who was this killer? What was their motive? Will they strike again? These questions all flooded Shadow's mind at once, it was a haunting feeling knowing that whoever was out there committing these kinds of crimes was still free in the outside world, roaming until the perfect opportunity arose for them to strike again. Shadow didn't know what to think at this point other than he and Espio were in for a long haul.

Hopefully Espio doesn't self-destruct during this investigation, I'm going to need him more than ever, Shadow thought as he navigated his way through the house towards the front doorway where he saw Espio already marching through the reporters who were still outside waiting for any small detail they could squeeze out of someone. He made his way down the lawn, the investigation had truly begun and it was now time for the pair to dig deeper and figure out just who was truly all behind this carnage.

A/N: Alright that does it for this chapter! Definitely a lot more detailed than the first chapter and I plan on doing more chapters like this where you can get some insight on the characters as well as plot development. Don't worry, this one may have been slow but it only goes up from here. Let me know what you think, it's much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: ALright, so here I present to you, chapter three of TWBB. This one was a pain to write. I had to do so many re-writes just to get it the way I wanted and I'm sorry to make this chapter so brief but don't worry there will be more to come since I am now finished with school for a month so expect more updates. Well enough of my rambling. Sit back and enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 3:

Espio sighed as he rubbed his eyes in tired frustration, it had been two days since they had been at the crime scene. He hadn't been able to sleep properly because he was so torn on what to do about his situation with Mina and on top of it all every piece of evidence seemed to lead to a dead end. It just seemed like his life wasn't going anywhere and he was suffering with the weight of the world on his shoulders both with his personal life and a serial killer looming in the shadows.

"Alright, let's go over this again." Shadow said as he walked up to the bulletin board at the front of the small conference room that he and Espio were located in.

"Shadow, we've gone over all this like several thousand freaking times, none of this makes sense." Espio lowered his hands and placed them on the table as he idly looked over the numerous photographs and documents that littered the table. Shadow turned his back on Espio, promptly ignoring him and continued on his train of thought.

"John Kramer, an engineer diagnosed with cancer with a homicidal conscious and agenda who would go on to be known as the Jigsaw killer. He would place his victims in numerous "games" as he called them, which were actually just traps that he constructed himself and kill his victims. He was killed ten years ago and had accomplices who helped to carry on legacy but none of them are currently alive." Shadow placed photographs of John on the table, the many photographs revealing a slim older man with grey hair and many wrinkles on his face. "John's fingerprints were found scattered all over the crime scene and on the door leading to the room. According to voice diagnostics, the voice that we heard on that tape is a one hundred percent match to John Kramer."

"How is this even possible? He has been dead for years!" Espio exclaimed as he looked down at the papers on the table.

"Exactly, yet everything points to him." Shadow said as he continued to wonder just how was John involved in all of this if he had died all those years ago.

"It just doesn't make any sense, and then on top of all of that how was that entire of the basement welded off?" Espio asked as he remembered that part of the crime scene. It puzzled him, he knew that welding it off would ensure that the room itself would become a tomb for those in it but why go to such great lengths to do so?  
"The more we dig the more questions we seem to find than answers it seems." Shadow stated as he reviewed everything in his mind. It had been a long day for the two and it had only just begun. They were only now able to go over the evidence after having everything fully analyzed and even now that they had everything at their disposal, what was supposed to give leads was only leading to dead-ends. The two sat in silence as they got lost in their thoughts. This continued for quite a few moments as they looked over their documents and photographs of the crime scene until a sudden thought crossed Espio's mind.

"Wait a minute." Espio blurted out, breaking the silence that gripped the room.

"What?" Shadow responded as he continued to read over one of the documents he held in his hands.

"We both did our reading up on John Kramer and we reviewed his past murders and his motives behind them. Have you realized that he always gave his victims a chance?" Espio threw the question out there as Shadow just gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is that, John Kramer wanted his victims to suffer but he also wanted them to survive and learn from their mistakes. That is why the earliest victims survived, because he made his traps beatable albeit with some sacrifices but nonetheless they were escapable." Espio explained as Shadow began to understand what Espio was getting at a little better.

"Go on." The ebony hedgehog gestured for Espio to continue on with his thought process, which he did.

"Whoever did this, designed this trap in the fashion of John Kramer, but he designed this trap to be inescapable. Whoever is behind this didn't want those victims to escape. There was no chance for them to survive. Even if they were to leave the room the hallway was welded shut and the fire would've engulfed them and burned them alive regardless. We may be dealing with someone who may be in the guise of John Kramer, but they aren't acting like him." Espio concluded as Shadow nodded his head in agreement. It was a solid theory, and the best one to explain everything that they had been able to piece together thus far. However, there was still just one problem.

"If this is a copycat, how is John's fingerprints and voice an exact match to a person who is dead?" Shadow's question challenged Espio's theory and it was a question that couldn't exactly be answered.

"I'm not entirely sure...that is something that we will have to investigate into further later. Right now, let's just make sure that we have a solid idea of all that has happened so we can use this as a means of figuring out whatever else we need to." Espio suggested as Shadow turned back to the board and now moved on to talk about the victims whose photographs were displayed on the board as well.

"We've been able to identify the victims as Sonic the Hedgehog and Douglas Wittager, ages thirty two and thirty five respectively." Shadow pointed at the photographs of the two individuals taken from the precinct's database that hung on the bulletin board. "Sonic was a judge at the Westopolis Courthouse and Douglas was a felon convicted numerous times of possession of illegal paraphernalia and drugs as well as standing trial for the murder of Maria Robotnik but he was never sentenced as there wasn't enough evidence to put him away." Shadow hung his head low as he finished speaking his trail of thoughts, Espio watched as the ebony hedgehog closed his eyes, looking as though he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. The room fell silent for only a moment before Shadow opened his eyes, his crimson irises glaring at the board once more as he suppressed whatever he emotions he had. Shadow glanced behind him and saw Espio with a confused expression on his face.

"What?" Shadow asked as Espio just gave a brief nod at the hedgehog.

"Care to explain that?"

"It doesn't matter right now, we've got to analyze this again. Retrace and go over what we have so far." Shadow said as he tried to draw Espio's attention away from his reaction but it was failing miserably.

"What we have so far is a case with leads pointing to someone who has been dead for years, a case with people who we don't know why were chosen to be victimized, and a case that seems to be bringing up more questions than answers." Espio stood up from his seat and began neatly stacking the papers and files on top of one another. "With that being said Shadow, what is it that you aren't telling me?" It was a inevitable question that Shadow knew that he would have to answer to eventually, nevertheless he still made his way to the door and gripped the knob. The ebony hedgehog began to twist it in the attempts to leave but suddenly he had second thoughts. He let go of the doorknob and turned to Espio, his crimson irises filled with something that resembled immense sadness, the first time Espio had seen anything like that.

"It's a rather long story." Shadow began as he made his way back to the table where all the papers that had once been in a disarray were now in a neat pile thanks to Espio. Espio glanced through some of the files containing pertinent information on Sonic and the man known as Douglas as he waited for Shadow to start talking.  
"Seven years ago, my best friend Maria was murdered by Douglas Wittager, a petty drug addict. He shot her in cold blood. She had gone to a party and he attempted to rob her in an he realized that she was going to go down without a fight, he killed her. He left her to die in that alley and bolted. After Maria's murder I was devastated and shaken to my very foundation. Every night I dreamt of killing that man and every night all I could ever think of was her. She was like a sister to me." Tears threatened to fall from Shadow's eyes as he revealed this information to Espio. Shadow paused for a moment to wipe at his eyes before continuing. "Then when the day came for that piece of garbage to stand trial, everything went wrong. It was supposed to be a day that I reveled in happiness at the fact that justice would be served and that I nor anyone else would never have to worry about him ever again. Instead, he walked free. After murdering an innocent girl for nothing more than the money in her pocket, he walked off scot free. Sonic was the judge at that trial, he said that there wasn't enough circumstantial evidence to convict Douglas of any wrongdoing, even though they had the gun, the residue on his hands, the blood splatters on his jacket. Everything that could possibly tie him to that murder was there and yet nothing was done. Instead, the wrongfully convicted a different man, Mitch Fogle. Everything was pinpointed on him even though Douglas was the one who murdered Maria. It was an outrage. I spent countless hours and days laboring over finding anything I could to free Mitch and imprison Douglas. My work was all in vain and nothing came to fruition. No one wanted to listen to me. Sonic convicted the wrong man who is still suffering away in prison and the killer walked free. Ironic right? Our justice system is supposed to help the innocent and imprison the people of wrongdoing yet the innocent get a life behind bars and the monsters walk amongst us." Shadow stopped as he mulled over the times he thought of ending it all. He felt as though a piece of himself had been lost and without it he couldn't survive. He remembered placing the gun against his head, the cold steel pressed tightly against the side of his head. In that moment he felt like everything was over, that this was the very end of the line. He had failed and that nothing could ever erase that fact. Yet, something made him stop. He pulled the gun away at the last second and realized that even though he had failed, that doesn't mean that he couldn't help others from experiencing the same fate that he had. That is how he had gotten started in the detective field, because of Maria. He would never forget that, and more importantly he would never forget her. Espio waited as Shadow opened his mouth and slowly let the words come out about his inner struggles that he struggled with all those years ago.

"I fell into a deep depression afterwards because I felt as though I failed in avenging Maria. She is someone I still hold close and dear to my heart and I'll never let something like that befall onto someone else." Shadow finished with a couple of tears streaming from his eyes. He wiped them away as he looked up at Espio who was giving the ebony hedgehog a look of compassion. It was horrible what he had endured, and Espio couldn't believe that something like that had occurred to his partner of all people. Espio knew that everyone had a story, but he couldn't believe that something as tragic as this had happened to Shadow. No wonder he keep so quiet to himself, Espio thought, there's just so much inner turmoil that he never wants to share with anyone.

"I'm sorry to hear that happened to you." Espio said warmly, his words of sympathy slightly lifting the ebony hedgehog's spirits. "However, what you have withheld has also shed some light on this investigation." Espio stated objectively as he walked back over to the board to analyze this new information. Shadow stood up and looked over at Espio, who was now deep in thought.

"How so?" Shadow asked as he wiped the last of his tears off with his sleeve in an attempt to get his emotions in check and back to the investigation at hand.

"You said that Douglas murdered Maria, your best friend, correct?" Espio questioned as he looked at the photographs of both Sonic and Douglas that were held in place by bulletin pins.

"Yes." Shadow answered as Espio continued to stare at the photographs before him as he slowly pieced together the events.

"So this man Mitch is imprisoned for a murder that Douglas committed, and Douglas was released without any charges against him and walked free. Sonic was the judge for this trial and he said that there wasn't enough circumstantial evidence to put Douglas away yet there was enough evidence to put Mitch away? There is something not right about that." Espio grabbed one of the files in the pile and laid it out for him and Shadow to both look at. It was a transcript of the murder trial that Douglas went to court for.

"Our answers might be in here." Espio grabbed the transcript and quickly headed towards the door, earning a questioning look from Shadow.

"Where are you going?" Shadow asked as Espio paused in the now open doorway.

"Don't you find it a bit strange that our victims are both linked together? One the judge, the other a murderer and both were executed in a very brutal fashion? These men were corrupt, and we need answers." Espio turned and walked out the door with Shadow in pursuit. Just where the hell is he going, Shadow pondered as he caught up with Espio who was walking down the hallway towards the main part of the precinct.

"I do find it strange, but where exactly are you going with this Espio?" Shadow inquired, genuinely intrigued by what kind of thought process Espio was having about all of this. After making their way past a couple of officers and other detectives in the hallway they finally reached the lobby of the precinct. Numerous desks were around the room and the place was hustling and bustling with detectives going from one place to another. People at the desks were either doing computer work or they were filing papers as Espio and Shadow shuffled past several people. They came to a stop a few paces later and Espio finally turned to acknowledge Shadow.

"To answer your question, what I'm getting at is that we may be dealing with someone who is assuming the role of being a vigilante."

"How is that possible? This is a killer we are talking about, whoever did this was no damn hero. Did you not see the bod-" Shadow spouted off before being interrupted by Espio.

"I did see them, we were both there. However, after the story you just told and all the evidence garnered, I believe that this killer had a reason to kill these people. Whoever did this, had a hatred for these men and this vendetta put those two in that room to die in. Now what I want to know is, how did those two end up in the same room together to be victimized by some killer who didn't even lay a finger on them and more importantly I want to know if we are just chasing ghosts or if we are dealing with something more dangerous, a copycat." Before Shadow could even respond, Espio headed off, leaving Shadow behind in search of the precinct psychologist. He had some questions for him to get a better idea of the killer's thought process. Maybe if he was able to enter the mind of this killer he would be able to have a better idea of who this person is, or how and why he would strike again. Shadow on the other hand stood in the hall as he watched his partner walk off, hellbent on figuring out his own piece of the investigation. The ebony hedgehog watched, his crimson irises focused like lasers on Espio until he was out of sight and then turned and walked towards the exit of the precinct. He made his way through the numerous investigators and detectives that walked by until he made his way out the door. These questions were haunting him and knowing that a killer was still on the loose left him feeling on edge. Time was of the essence and it would only be a matter of time before more bodies began to start piling up and the ebony hedgehog wasn't going to allow that to happen on his watch anytime soon. He had his own ideas on how to solve this investigation and he was going to do things on his own terms, even if it meant bending the rules.


End file.
